It is known to produce explosive mixtures of good homogeneity suitable for the production of cast explosive charges by melting together ammonium nitrate (AN) and an aliphatic mono-or polyamine nitrate, e.g. methylammonium nitrate (MAN) and ethylenediamine dinitrate (EDD) (U.S. Pat. No. 1,968,158). Such low-melting mixtures including eutectic mixtures, with and without other explosive and inert additives e.g. PETN, RDX or TNT were utilized as cast explosive charges by Germany in World War II and more recently have been the object of further studies. (T. Urbanski, "Chemistry and Technology of Explosives", Pergamon Press, Vol III, pp 253-4 and 271; B. T. Federoff and O. E. Sheffield, "Encyclopedia of Explosives and Related Items," Technical Report 2700, Volume 6 (1974), pp E234-7; M. H. Ficheroulle, "Ethylenedinitramine, Ammonium Ethylenedinitramate, Binaries with Ammonium Nitrate," Memorial des Poudres, 30, 89-100 (1948) (In French); A. LeRoux, "Explosive Properties of Ethylenediamine Dinitrate," Memorial des Poudres, 32, 121-131 (1950); A. LeRoux, "Explosive Properties of Nitrate of Monomethylamine," Memorial des Poudres, 34, 129-145 (see pp. 141-2 for EDD) (1952); B. T. Federoff et al, "Dictionary of Explosives, Ammunition and Weapons (German Section)," Technical Report 2510, Picatinny Arsenal Dover, N.J. pp. Ger 35-36, 47, 48 (1959) (AD 16036); "Allied and Enemy Explosives," Aberdeen Proving Ground Report APG ST-9-2900-1 (1946), pp 145-147; and A. N. Campbell and A. J. R. Campbell, "Binary and Ternary Eutectics Involving Ammonium Nitrate," Canadian Journal Research, Vol. 25B pp. 90-100 (1947)).
It has also been recognized that established explosive compositions such as Amatols (AN/TNT 60/40), and Amatex 20 and 40 (RDX/TNT/AN, 20/40/40 and 40/40/20) perform as though only 19%, 50% and 50%, respectively, of the AN in the compositions participates and contributes to the explosive output (C. F. Mader, "An Equation of State for Nonideal Explosives," Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, LA5864, April 1975).